Myths and Legends of All Nations Famous Stories from the Greek, German, English, Spanish, Scandinavian, Danish, French, Russian, Bohemian, Italian and other sources

Page: 58

"Your eyes look heavy, Prince Jason," observed the king;
"you appear to have spent a sleepless night. I hope you have
been considering the matter a little more wisely and have concluded
not to get yourself scorched to a cinder in attempting
to tame my brazen-lunged bulls."

"That is already accomplished, may it please your majesty,"
replied Jason. "The bulls have been tamed and yoked;
the field has been plowed; the dragon's teeth have been sown
broadcast and harrowed into the soil; the crop of armed
warriors has sprung up and they have slain one another
to the last man. And now I solicit your majesty's permission
to encounter the dragon, that I may take down the Golden
Fleece from the tree and depart with my forty-nine comrades."

King Æetes scowled and looked very angry and excessively
disturbed; for he knew that, in accordance with his kingly
promise, he ought now to permit Jason to win the fleece if
his courage and skill should enable him to do so. But since
the young man had met with such good luck in the matter of
the brazen bulls and dragon's teeth, the king feared that he
would be equally successful in slaying the dragon. And
therefore, though he would gladly have seen Jason snapped
up at a mouthful, he was resolved (and it was a very wrong
thing of this wicked potentate) not to run any further risk
of losing his beloved fleece.

"You never would have succeeded in this business, young
man," said he, "if my undutiful daughter Medea had not
helped you with her enchantments. Had you acted fairly,[Pg 101]
you would have been at this instant a black cinder or a handful
of white ashes. I forbid you, on pain of death, to make any
more attempts to get the Golden Fleece. To speak my mind
plainly, you shall never set eyes on so much as one of its
glistening locks."

Jason left the king's presence in great sorrow and anger.
He could think of nothing better to be done than to summon
together his forty-nine brave Argonauts, march at once to
the grove of Mars, slay the dragon, take possession of the
Golden Fleece, get on board the Argo and spread all sail for
Iolchos. The success of this scheme depended, it is true, on
the doubtful point whether all the fifty heroes might not be
snapped up as so many mouthfuls by the dragon. But as
Jason was hastening down the palace steps, the Princess
Medea called after him and beckoned him to return. Her
black eyes shone upon him with such a keen intelligence that
he felt as if there were a serpent peeping out of them, and
although she had done him so much service only the night
before, he was by no means very certain that she would not
do him an equally great mischief before sunset. These
enchantresses, you must know, are never to be depended
upon.

"What says King Æetes, my royal and upright father?"
inquired Medea, slightly smiling. "Will he give you the
Golden Fleece without any further risk or trouble?"